Good practices in civic engagement and local development inspire 5 rural communities
At the end of June, the Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi) organized an exchange visit to the village of Mascauti, Criuleni district, bringing together 25 representatives from 5 partner communities (LPA representatives, civil society, school teachers, entrepreneurs, young people). The purpose of the visit was to facilitate learning from concrete examples of good practices, civic engagement, and effective cooperation at the local level. The purpose of the visit was to facilitate experiential learning from concrete examples of good practices, civic engagement and effective cooperation at the local level.
The communities participating in this event were: Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Cahul district; Speia, Anenii Noi district; Pelinia, Drochia district; and Lingura, Cantemir district.
The participants were welcomed by the Mayor of Mascauti – Valeriu Cartan, and his team, who presented the main development projects of the locality, the challenges encountered, and how the community was actively involved in local governance and transformation processes to create better conditions at home.
“Every project carried out in Mascauti was made possible through the direct involvement of citizens, the economic sector, and development partners. We are glad to have been able to share these experiences with our guests.” – Valeriu Cartan, mayor of Mascauti.
Throughout the day, the 25 participants explored successful local entrepreneurial initiatives, public institutions modernized through development projects, and examples of partnerships between local authorities, citizens, and the business community. The discussions were focused on solutions that have been implemented in practice and their replication in other rural communities.
“Such visits are the driving force behind change. When you see what is possible in a community with initiative and real cooperation, you say to yourself: we can do it too. I am leaving here with a plan and with more courage.” – Ludmila Turcanu, local facilitator from Pelinia, Drochia district.
The visit ended in a nice setting at the “La Bacota” camping guesthouse, where everyone got to reflect on what they learned and chat about what to do next.
The INSPIRE exchange program, developed by iRi, aims to organize such exchange visits in order to facilitate mutual learning from cooperation models that are already in place.
Over the years, the exchange visit to Mascauti is the 12th exchange visit organized by iRi, with the participation of over 180 representatives from 12 rural communities.
“We want the exchange visits facilitated by iRi to be an inspiration for rural communities in Moldova. iRi will continue to promote and support the exchange of best practices so that communities across the country can learn from each other, collaborate, and build a more transparent, participatory, and sustainable future together.” – Lilia Sula, program coordinator, iRi.
The event is part of the project “Citizens ACT: Improving participatory governance and transparency at local level”, implemented by the Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi) in partnership with People in Need Moldova (PIN) with the financial support of the European Union.
For more pictures from the event, please, click the link here.